Our Little Speedster
by When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Summary: A series following Barry and Caitlin through the best time of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Caitlin was finding it extremely hard to contain her excitement. All day she had been running the doctor's words through her mind, still not fully believing that she didn't dream them. As she carried the laundry upstairs to begin folding it, she started thinking about how much her life was going to change. Give it a few months, and she might not be able to hold the laundry basket around her growing…the sound of the front door opening snapped her out of her daydream.

"I'm home!" Her favorite voice called out.

"I'm upstairs!" Caitlin answered from her bedroom. The familiar whoosh of air that shortly greeted her brought a smile to her face.

"Barry, you know I worked hard on my hair this morning." Caitlin playfully chided her husband as he reached down to capture her lips in a short, sweet kiss.

"You're always beautiful, Caitlin." Barry replied, that big goofy grin of his that made Caitlin's heart stutter breaking out across his face.

"Long day at the station?" She asked, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck and looking deep into those gorgeous eyes of his.

"Just a bunch of tests to run and forensic reports to write." Barry said, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her closer.

"A metahuman robbed a bank over my lunch break, but it wasn't anything Cisco and I couldn't handle. Speaking of, how have you been feeling lately?"

Caitlin pulled away from his embrace and returned to folding the laundry on the bed.

"I feel much better today. Cleaning the house helped relax me a bit." She said, glancing back at Barry.

He didn't seem to notice the smile she couldn't hide from her face. She moved into the hallway to put a stack of towels away in the closet, and Barry followed close behind.

"Well, until this week, I never knew the great scientist Caitlin Allen was also a wanna-be interior decorator!" He said laughing.

"Hey! You have your hobbies, and I have mine." She quipped back.

Closing the closet door, she turned and went to stand in the doorway to their spare room. They'd only been living in this house for a few months, and still had yet to decide what to use the room for.

"I still can't believe we have that many boxes of things left to find places for." Barry stated, sliding up behind her to gaze into the room.

"But I think I've finally decided what to use this room for." Caitlin said, turning her head to look Barry in the eyes.

"And what would that be?" Barry inquired, an amused look on his face.

"I think it would look great as a baby's room. We could put a crib over in the right corner, where the sun shines in the morning. And then there's space for a little rocking chair next to the window…" Caitlin explained, getting giddily lost in her plans.

"But Cait. Wouldn't it help to have a baby first?" Barry questioned, a confused look crossing his face.

"Barry…"Caitlin smiled at him.

"What? Did I miss something?" He replied, giving her that cute little look he always had when he was thinking.

"I went to the doctor today…and I'm pregnant." Caitlin revealed, finally letting her extreme excitement show on her face.

Barry's expression went from shock, to amazement, and then to joy.

"Cait! That's wonderful!" He exclaimed, picking her up in a hug and twirling her around in the hallway.

Once her feet were back on the ground, he pulled her close into a deep and passionate kiss. Caitlin's hands reached up to run through his hair as Barry's moved to cup her back. When they finally broke for air, they rested their foreheads together, not wanting to break the perfect moment.

"I love you, Caitlin." Barry whispered, his eyes glistening with joy.

"I love you too, Barry." Caitlin answered, reaching up to give him one last kiss.

"But I think it's time we told everyone else. Cisco will be over the moon when he finds out he's going to be an uncle!"


	2. Chapter 2

Cisco, Iris, Joe and Dr. Stein were already at STAR Labs when Barry and Caitlin walked in together the next week. Iris was the first to look up at the sound of their footsteps and immediately came to give Caitlin a hug.

"Caitlin! It's so good to see you! How are you feeling?" She asked, holding Caitlin out at arm's length.

"Much better. I think a little rest was all I needed." She replied, giving Barry a quick smile before she continued.  
"But….I do have some news for all of you." Caitlin turned to address the rest of their team, her face suddenly turning serious.

"What is it Caitlin?" Cisco inquired.  
"Is something wrong?" He tried to read her expression to tell what was going on, but she wasn't giving him any clues.

"Well….I…"

"We've added a new member to Team Flash!" Barry excitedly interjected, shooting Caitlin an apologetic look for interrupting her as he brought his hand up to his mouth and anxiously began to rock back and forth on his feet.

"Barry, do you really think that's wise? I mean, who knows? What if this person turns out to be like Wells? How do we know if we can trust them?" Joe questioned, moving closer to the desk that stood between him and the couple.

"And we ALL are a part of Team Flash, so don't you guys think that we should all have a say in who is a part of our team or not?" Cisco added.

"Mr. Ramone does have a point." Dr. Stein seconded.

"Guys, guys, it's fine. You can trust me when I say I know this speedster is going to be a good addition to this team." Barry said, trying to calm everyone in the room down. He was failing miserably.

"Did you just say…speedster? Like, 'The Flash, Reverse Flash, and Zoom' speedster?" Cisco asked.

"Barry, almost every speedster that you've encountered so far has tried to kill you. What makes you think this is a good idea?" Joe said, seriously concerned.

Barry looked Caitlin in the eyes and took her hand before answering Joe with a smile, "Because it's…our little speedster."

The room was silent for what felt like an eternity.

"Wait a second…" Iris said, putting it all together.  
"Caitlin…you're pregnant?!"

Caitlin gave her a small nod and a shy smile as she drew closer to Barry's side and linked her arm through his.

"OH MY GOODNESS! Congratulations!" She said, rushing forward to give Caitlin another hug.

Joe shook the look of surprise off his face and enveloped Barry in a fatherly embrace.

"Congrats son! Now you'll understand what I had to go through all those years raising you!" He said, giving Barry a firm pat on the back.  
"Although, if it's a boy, I do hope the little guy has a better football career than you did!"

"Guys. Does that mean I'm gonna be an uncle?!" Cisco excitedly exclaimed, breaking into the celebration.

"It would only be fitting, Cisco. You're a part of our family, and you always will be." Caitlin told him.

"I'm gonna be the coolest uncle EVER! Get ready little one, cause we've got lots of adventures ahead of us!" Cisco said, bending down to address Caitlin's stomach.

"I've got to start working on a nickname! Speedy's already taken…hmmm, Little Flash? Flash Jr.? What about Kid Flash?!" Cisco said to himself as he started to wander around the room, lost in thought.  
"And making a suit that small is not going to be an easy task!"

"Cisco…" Caitlin said, laughing at the other man's antics.  
"The baby's not going to be a superhero."

"Oh, but Ms. Allen, I beg to differ." Dr. Stein said, stepping into the conversation.  
"Do you not understand the significance of this child? This will be the first person that we know of to be born a metahuman. The lightning strike altered Barry's DNA to give him super speed, we can only assume that this DNA will be passed on to the child as well."

Caitlin's face fell.

"Then…that means the child will show signs of the speed force. If any doctors discover this alteration, they would instantly know who The Flash is." She said, turning to Barry, worry splashed across her face.

"What do we do?"

Barry stepped forward to take her hands in his, and looked around the room nervously.

For the second time that day the room was enveloped in an absolute silence.

"What about…A.R.G.U.S.?" Cisco suggested tentatively, bringing his pacing to a halt.  
"They may be a part of the military, but they've dealt with metahumans before, and…"

"…They'd have a wide range of doctors within their ranks who would know how to deal with these sorts of things." Barry said, catching on to the idea.

"A.R.G.U.S. would have doctors stationed in hospitals all over the country, and any development of metahuman powers would be kept a secret. I'm sure Diggle and Lyla would be able to help us arrange for you to see one." He said addressing Caitlin.

"But Barry…A.R.G.U.S. isn't exactly in the favor granting business. They'll want you to do something for them in return. What if they send you on a dangerous mission…and you…don't come back?" Caitlin gulped, tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't have you endangering yourself any more than you already do for my and the baby's sake."

"Cait." Barry said, his hand moving to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear and coming to a rest on her cheek.

"I wouldn't do anything, ever, to endanger you or our child. If I don't do this, the doctors find out I'm The Flash and both you and the baby become targets for my enemies. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing that each time I'm out there, I'd be putting you two in danger as well. Please. Let me talk to A.R.G.U.S. I only want to protect you." Barry pleaded, concern clouding his usually cheerful face.

Caitlin looked deep into his eyes and knew that he was right. He had to do this.

Dropping her gaze to the ground, she gave a slight nod of agreement, and quietly whispered, "Ok."

Barry pulled Caitlin into his arms, her head coming to a rest against his chest, and gave her a comforting kiss on the head. After a while he pulled away so he could look into her eyes.

Barry was reminded of a time long ago when those eyes had looked just like they did now, after she had poured her heart out to him while sitting on the treadmill. He had helped her calm her fears by offering to go with her down to the cortex, and later, she had done the same for him, offering to watch Wells' video together. That's what they did; they were a team, and they faced challenges and fears…together. And to be honest, there was no one else he'd rather be solving this situation with than with Caitlin.

Smiling, Barry said, "Come on. Let's go call Diggle and Lyla right now….together."


	3. Chapter 3

The day started off like any other for Barry. He woke up before his wife and gave her a good morning kiss on the forehead before taking a quick shower, grabbing a bite to eat, and rushing out the door. Somehow, no matter how early he woke up, he still managed to be running late to the precinct every day. Barry was engrossed in his many tests and reports for the next few hours until he checked his watch and realized that he had missed his lunch date with Caitlin.

 _'Funny,'_ he thought, _'she usually calls to remind me.'_

Deciding to quickly run home and apologize, Barry cleaned up his lab and jogged down the precinct stairs. Checking to make sure no one was watching, he sped down the street as soon as he exited the front door. A few seconds later, Barry skidded to a stop on the sidewalk outside his house, and his face drew into a puzzled expression.

The front door stood wide open.

"That's odd." He said to himself. Usually Caitlin was careful to lock the door when she left for the lab after him in the mornings. The sky had become overcast, and a breeze was picking up, but Barry doubted the growing storm was strong enough to have blown the door open.

 _'Maybe it was just a mistake,'_ Barry thought as he walked up the front steps.

But his thought quickly changed when he saw there was a hole where the door knob should have been, a clear sign of a forced entry.

"Caitlin?!" Barry called out, rushing into the house.  
"Caitlin? Are you ok?"

The downstairs was a mess. The vase of flowers Barry had brought home for Caitlin last week was shattered on the floor in the front entrance, the furniture looked as if it had been tossed around by a tornado, and there were large slash marks along the walls.

Still hearing no response to his calls, Barry worriedly rushed upstairs. The path of destruction continued and appeared to lead towards a door down the hall. Barry's stomach dropped.

It was the baby's room.

"Cait? Cait! Answer me! Are you ok?" Barry cried, busting open the damaged door to enter the room.

It looked like a bomb had exploded. Not a single piece of furniture was left intact, and the tattered curtains flapped against the broken window. Thunder rumbled outside as Barry read the words etched into the soft yellow paint: "You can't run from me, Flash."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Barry yelled. Despair hit him as he fell to his knees amidst the debris.

This was what Barry had promised Caitlin would never happen. He had sworn to protect her and the baby from the Flash's enemies, and he had failed. He had no idea where they were, who could have taken them, or even if they were still alive.

 _'Pull yourself together, Barry. Feeling sorry isn't going to save them. They need you to be strong.'_ Barry told himself.

Reaching into his pocket, Barry grabbed his phone and made some quick calls before racing over to S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Cisco, how's it looking?" Barry asked his friend as he strode into the team room a few minutes later.

"I searched security footage and ran some tests scanning for signs of Meta activity, and I think I've found our guy." Cisco said, walking around the main desk with a tablet in hand.

"It can't be." Barry replied, peering over the shorter man's shoulder to look at the data read-out.

A familiar dark-clad figure wrapped in pulsing blue lightning stared back at him from the screen.

"Security footage from traffic lights near your neighborhood caught a blur earlier this afternoon, and I was able to slow the video down enough to get a clearer picture. It definitely looks like Zoom, man. I don't know how, but that is definitely him." Cisco explained.

"But…how…where…what do I do?" Barry stammered, confusion, worry, and frustration creating a collision of emotions on his face.  
"I could barely beat Zoom the first time, and I almost died twice before I did. I don't know if I can do it again."

"Yes, you can. You're not alone, Barry. Together, as a team, we can save Caitlin and your baby and bring Zoom down." Iris said, entering the lab with Joe, Wally, Dr. Stein, and Jax on her heels.

Barry gave Iris a look of sincere gratitude.

The group had just begun to discuss their plan when they felt a rush of wind blow past them. Papers on the desk flew in the air and slowly settled on the ground around the ominous figure.

"ZOOM!" Barry angrily yelled, taking a few steps towards the villain. He was quickly restrained by Joe.

"Hello again, Flash." Zoom answered menacingly.  
"You thought you could beat me. But that's where you went wrong. You can never beat me. I will always be here…until I have destroyed everything that you love."

At this, Zoom raised and extended his left arm, further revealing the battered and bruised Caitlin in his grasp.

"Barry…" She wheezed, exhaustion and concern showing in her eyes.

"Zoom, let her go. It's me you want to hurt, not her." Barry said, jerking his arm from Joe's firm grip and taking a few steps toward the speedster as he tried to reason with him.

"No, I don't think you understand. In order to destroy you, Flash, I must destroy everything you have to fight for." Zoom replied, turning his gaze to Caitlin.  
"Starting with your wife and child."

"Please, no!" Barry yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion.

Barry heard Caitlin cry out his name as Zoom reached around with his vibrating right hand, and stabbed her through the stomach.

"NO!" Barry screamed.

Suddenly, Barry became aware of the darkness surrounding him. Blinking, he realized he was no longer in the cortex, but was sitting up in bed. Faint moonlight filtered in from the bedroom window to his right and fell gracefully upon the sleeping form of his wife.

 _"It was…It was all a dream…"_ Barry thought as he tried to calm his rapid breathing. Overcome with emotion, he kicked the covers off and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands for a few minutes before deciding to take a walk downstairs to relax his frantic mind.

Hearing Barry exit the room, Caitlin sat up in bed. A look of confusion and worry crossed her face.

As she quietly moved down the stairs to check on her husband, Caitlin saw Barry sitting on their living room couch, the soft light of the lamp nearby illuminating his strained expression.

"Barry?" She asked, slowly entering the room.  
"Is everything alright?"

Caitlin came around the arm of the couch and carefully seated herself next to him, bringing her hand up to rub along his back. She could feel the tension in his muscles begin to relax at her touch, and wondered what could have frightened him so much at this hour of the night.

"I…I lost you." Barry stammered. He turned his head to gaze into Caitlin's eyes. The look on his face was one of immense pain.  
"I…I failed you. And I failed our baby. I let my enemies get to you, and there wasn't anything I could do to save you." Barry turned away, tears slowly streaming from his eyes.

Caitlin drew her arm around Barry's shoulders and pulled him into her embrace. She gave him a tender kiss on the head as he began to sob.

"Shh, Barry, everything's alright." Caitlin said comfortingly.  
"You didn't fail me, and you didn't fail our baby. We're both safe. In fact, I wouldn't feel safer anywhere else. You're a hero, Barry. The people of this city believe that, I believe it, and you should too. I know you'll always worry that we'll be drawn into the Flash's world. But we're already a part of it. I stood by your side when you first became the Flash, and I always will, no matter what. The people of this city need you just as much as we need you here. Don't let one nightmare prevent you from being the amazing, selfless hero you are inside. I wouldn't have you any other way."

"How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?" Barry asked, wiping the tears from his eyes as he brought his head up to give Caitlin a slight smirk.

"I like to think that I've had a lot of practice. Being the wife of a superhero, you get pretty good at giving pep talks." Caitlin replied, smiling and leaning forward to give Barry a quick kiss on the lips.

"Now come on, let's go back to bed and grab some sleep while we can. I had just gotten the baby to stop running laps when you woke me up."


	4. Chapter 4

Caitlin pushed open the door of the doctor's office and stepped out into the fading evening sun. There was a slight chill in the air, signaling fall's approach. Seeing her car in the circle drop off lane, Caitlin zipped up her jacket and quickly strode towards the vehicle.

"How are my two favorite people doing?" Barry asked, smiling, as she slipped into the front passenger seat.

"We're both doing fantastic, thank you for asking," she replied, leaning over to give her husband a quick peck on the lips, before he maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and onto the road.  
"Our little speedster here is quite the active one. Dr. Miller said she's never seen a baby so energetic. She also said because of the speed force genetic mutation that the baby's heart rate and metabolism are faster and higher than most babies. Which might explain why I'm constantly hungry…anyway, other than that, she said everything seems to be progressing well, and there's nothing we should be concerned about!"

"That's wonderful!" Barry said, turning the car down the street towards their neighborhood.  
"Speaking of being hungry, Iris wanted to test out a new recipe, and she made way too much for herself, so she dropped a dish by the house before I came to pick you up. You might have to warm it up some, but it'll save you having to make dinner tonight. I know how tired you can get after these appointments."

"Aww, Barry, that's so sweet! Remind me to thank Iris the next time I'm at STAR Labs. Which speaking of, how did things go today?" Caitlin asked as they pulled into their driveway.

"Well, Cisco and I faced off against a new meta. He could control plants, but we figured out that he was sensitive to some of the same elements that are in weed killer, so we altered them to create a sort of plant stun gas."

"Oh…why does it seem that every time I'm gone all the exciting stuff happens?" Caitlin questioned as Barry held the front door of the house open for her. He noticed the sudden sad expression that overtook her face.

Caitlin was quiet all through dinner and hardly looked up from her plate.

"…Is everything alright Cait?" Barry asked timidly from his spot across the round dining table.  
"You've been pretty quiet since we got home."

"I'm fine. Everything's fine. Really. Why wouldn't it be fine?" She said curtly, picking at the leftovers on her plate, refusing to meet his gaze.

"…Are you sure? Did I say something wrong earlier?" Barry continued to pry.

Caitlin suddenly snapped her head up and shot him a frustrated look. But after a few seconds, the frustration melted away and she sighed dejectedly.

"Yes, Barry, something has been bothering me. It's dumb really, but the way you talked about you and Cisco, fighting metahumans together, solving all the problems that I'd usually be there to help with…it made me feel a little left out. Or unimportant. Or unneeded."

"Cait…" Barry said softly, reaching across the table to take her hand in his.  
"Of course we still need you. When you're gone, it's just not the same. A piece of our team is missing. But we understand that with this new change…our team's gonna have to change a little too. That doesn't mean you're any less important. It's when you're gone that we realize even more how important you are to the team…and to me."

"Oh Barry…" Caitlin said, tears brimming in her eyes.  
"How do you always know exactly what to say?"

"I like to think I learned from the best." He said with a smirk.

Three weeks later, Caitlin walked in the front door after a long day at STAR Labs and found Barry in the kitchen, bent over something he was attempting to wrap in wrapping paper.

"Barry? Who's the gift for?" She asked, stepping closer to try and peer around his back at what was on the table.

Barry's hands turned to a blur as he used his speed to finish wrapping the gift before she could see what it was.

"Uh, no one. I mean, it's obviously for someone, but…no one in particular, no. No one you would know." Barry stammered, turning to face her while keeping the gift hidden from view behind his body.

"Ok…" Caitlin said, giving him a quizzical look.

"Aww, shoot. You know what? I think I left the keys to my lab at the precinct at STAR Labs." Barry gave Caitlin a pleading look. It was obvious he was changing the subject.

"Do I have to get them now?" Caitlin sighed.  
"I just got back, and would really like to rest for a while. Plus, couldn't you just flash over and get them…?"

"You would seriously be the best if you went and got them for me." Barry cut her off, as he began ushering her quickly back towards the front door.  
"I know you just got back, but you won't really be missing much here, nope nothing at all, so, you should probably just go get them right now. Thanks, you're the best, love you!" He gave her a kiss on the lips before quickly closing the front door again.

So Caitlin once again found herself at STAR Labs. It took her way longer than it should have, but she eventually found the keys kicked under a cabinet in Cisco's lab. The next problem was figuring out how to get them out from there, because there was no way she was moving this heavy cabinet with as pregnant as she was. After much trial and error, Caitlin was finally able to use a roughly-constructed contraption to grab the keys and slide them back out.

As she pulled into the driveway of her house for the second time, she noticed there were several more cars parked along the street. Not a single light was on in the house.

"Barry?" Caitlin called as she slowly opened the front door.

"SURPRISE!" A crowd of people shouted as the lights suddenly flew on. Caitlin stood still for a minute, shocked, as she took in all the people standing in her living room. Barry, Iris, Wally, Joe, Cisco, Kara, Oliver, and Felicity all stood smiling back at her. The room was decorated with pink and blue balloons, garlands, and streamers, and a cake sat on a table in the corner of the room.

"Barry…what is all this?" She asked her husband, still a little in shock.

"I know how left out you've been feeling lately." Barry said, stepping out from the group to take her in his arms.  
"So I called all our friends and decided to throw you a surprise baby shower!"

Caitlin turned to look at Barry, tears of happiness brimming in her eyes. She opened her mouth to try and utter a word of gratitude, but was so overcome with emotion, she opted to give Barry a passionate kiss instead.

The night went by in a blissful blur, and soon Caitlin found herself opening everyone's gifts.

"Lyla and Diggle are sorry they couldn't make it." Felicity said, as Caitlin unwrapped the stroller from the Queen couple.  
"They were actually the ones who recommended this stroller to us. Not that we couldn't think of a gift to get you. We had lots of gift ideas. But of course, they already have a kid, so they know more than we do…" Oliver gently placed his hand on her forearm to stop her from rambling on any further.

"It's perfect, Felicity. Thank you both." Caitlin said, giving a slight chuckle at the other woman's characteristic babbling.

Joe and Wally gave her the crib she had been eyeing for some time, Iris had made a baby Flash mobile, and Kara gave her a baby bouncer swing as a gift from the Supergirl team.

Lastly she opened Cisco's gift.

"Cisco?! How did you do this?" Caitlin exclaimed, as she pulled an infant-sized Flash suit from the box.

"I worked my magic, of course. I know you said the baby won't be a superhero, but just in case…I came prepared." Cisco replied with a grin on his face.

"Thank you everyone." Caitlin said, taking a minute to look around the room at all of her friends.  
"This truly means so much to me. I'm very grateful to have such wonderful friends."

The time was getting late, and soon everyone began bidding their farewells. After Barry closed the front door behind the last of their guests, he stepped back into the living room where Caitlin was straightening up and enveloped her in a hug from behind.

"I have one more gift for you." He said tenderly as he nuzzled his face against her neck.

"More?!" Caitlin questioned, turning her head slightly to give Barry an incredulous look.  
"You've already given me so much tonight."

"I know, but this is something special." Barry said, as he released his hold of her to pull a small wrapped box from his pocket and place it in her hands.

"Barry…" Caitlin said, breathless, as she opened the box to reveal a beautiful heart necklace made out of diamonds.

"It was my mom's. One year when I was little, I saved up all my money and helped my dad buy it for her for Mother's Day. I figured you should have it, now that you're going to be a mom."

Once again, Caitlin found herself without words. She wiped a tear from her eye before reaching up and pulling Barry down for a tender kiss.

"Of all the gifts I've ever received, the best, by far, is you."


End file.
